Driving mechanism for bicycles.



No. 764,599. PATENTBD JULY 12, 1904. A. A. KENNEDY,

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR BIGYOLBSE urmomxon rum) NOV. 1.6, 1903,

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented July 12, 1904.

ANDREW ALGOMA KENNEDY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,599, dated July 12,1904.

Application filed November 16, 1903. Serial No. 181,453. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW ALeoMA KEN- NEDY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city of Camden, county of Camden, and State ofNew Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in DrivingMechanism for Bicycles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to driving mechanism for bicycles in which the rearwheel is driven from a sprocket Wheel and chain by means ofratchet-wheels, pawls, and pawl-levers; and the object of my inventionis to provide a simple driving mechanism which can be applied to anyform of safety-bicycle and by which the driving or propelling power isreduced to a minimum, making it possible to ride over steep hills withease and comfort.

To this end my invention consists of a bicycle-frame of usual or anypreferred form with rearwardly-extending bars in which a driving-shaftis journaled in rear of the rear bicycle-wheel, a set of levers withpawls hinged to said shaft and extending toward the front bicycle-wheel,a set of ratchet-wheels in line with said pawls and secured to saiddrivingshaft, and a guide with spring for each lever adapted to alineand elevate said levers; and my invention further consists of theimprovements hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in theclaim.

My invention will be more fully understood taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 isan elevation of a bicycle, showing my improved driving mechanism inapplication; and Fig. 2 is a view showing one lever, with pawl,ratchet-wheel, and guide, in detail.

Referring now to the drawings for a further description of my invention,IN is the rear bicycle-wheel, journaled in the frame B C, of anypreferred shape. A represents two bars secured to said frame B C andextending rear wardly beyond the periphery of the wheel W. At the rearextremities of these bars A is journaled a driving-shaft H, whichcarries the large sprocket-wheel K. A smaller sprocketwheel L is securedto the rear wheel IV and receives its rotary motion from the wheel K bymeans of the sprocket-chain K.

On the driving-shaft H are secured two ratchet-wheels D, adapted torotate the said ,shaft by means of the levers E. Each of these levers ishinged with one end to the shaft H, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, andextends forwardly to guides I,secured to the fork C of the frame B. Thefree ends of these levers E are protruded through slots in the guides Iand are normally held in an elevated position by the springs J containedin the said guides I.

In order to give the feet of the rider a suitable rest, footboards E areprovided on the levers E. Near the hinged end of the levers E aresecured the hoop-shaped pawls F, which are caused to engage with theteeth of the ratchet-wheels D by means of flat springs G.

The operation of my improved driving mechanism is as follows: The freeends of the levers E being normally in an elevated position through theaction of the springs J, (Fig. 1 showing both of them in depressedposition,) the rider mounting the wheel depresses one of the levers Eagainst the action ofits spring J and causes the rotation of the shaft Hfor a certain distance, thereby propelling the wheel W. After thedownstroke of this lever E is completed the other lever is depressed atits free extremity, while the for mer regains its elevated positionthrough the spring J.

It will be observed from the drawings that owing to the proportion ofdistance from shaft H to foot-piece E and from shaft H to periphery ofratchet-wheels D the power to be applied in order to propel the bicycleneed be very small and that on this account steep hills may be easilyovercome.

Having thus described the nature and objeets of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination with a frame and a rear driving-wheel of a bicycle, of abar at either side of said wheel, fastened to said frame and having itsfree extremities extending rearwardly beyond the periphery'of saidWheel, a driving-shaft journaled in the free extremities of said bars, alever hinged to the driving-shaft and extending on each side of the reardriving-Wheel toward the front Wheel, a ratchet-Wheel secured to thedriving-shaft for each of said levers, a spring-pawl on each leveradapted to engage With its respective ratchet-Wheel, springs to maintainthe free ends of the levers in an elevated position, and means totransmit the rotary motion of the driving-shaft to the reardriving-Wheel of the

